Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
be 25.2% less likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 20.9% of people as of 2024.
see 14.6% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 12.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Ireland, 14.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.
be 27.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belgium, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
make 53.8% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
Expenditures
spend 2.2 times more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 57.7% more on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 95.4% less coastline
Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 66.2% more likely to be murdered
Ireland has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 17.6% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Ireland, 75% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In Belgium, that number is 62% as of 2021.
be 64.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 36.9% more home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belgium has 44.2 as of 2024.
use 12.7% more electricity
Ireland uses 6,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Belgium uses 7,099 kWh as of 2024.
live with 6.6 times more strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
Environment
be 15.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 21.0% more CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Ireland vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.